The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is finally upon us, 12 years after the small Middle East country was awarded the right to host football's biggest competition.
Now 32 nations, picking 26 players for the first time, are gearing up for the finals, with the weight of expectation weighing heavily for some and the desire to shock the world propelling others. England are there, with Gareth Southgate having named his squad for the finals, as the Three Lions look to go one further than their position of runners-up at last year's European Championships. Wales have made it too, a first finals appearance in over 60 years, with Gareth Bale looking to shine on world football's grandest stage.
Mirror Football brings you a full list of every single player heading to Qatar, plus all the key info you need about each team:
GROUP A
QATAR
Coach: Felix Sanchez - graduated as a coach from Barcelona’s academy.
Star Man: Almoez Ali - the Sudanese-born striker has a one-in-two strike-rate - and bagged four at the Gold Cup last year.
Odds to win the World Cup: 250-1
Prediction: The hosts sprang a surprise at the Gold Cup when reaching the semi-finals - losing out by a single goal to eventual winners, the United States. Are not as raw as the outside world might think - but it will be a major achievement to qualify.
Full Squad: Saad Al-Sheeb, Meshaal Barsham, Yousef Hassan, Pedro Miguel, Musaab Khidir, Tarek Salman, Bassam Al-Rawi, Boualem Khoukhi, Abdelkarim Hassan, Homam Ahmed, Jassem Gaber, Ali Asad, Assim Madabo, Mohammed Waad, Salem Al-Hajri, Moustafa Tarek, Karim Boudiaf, Abdelaziz Hatim, Ismail Mohamad, Naif Al-Hadhrami, Ahmed Alaaeldin, Hassan Al-Haydos, Khalid Muneer, Akram Afif, Almoez Ali, Mohamed Muntari
NETHERLANDS
Coach: Louis van Gaal - the former Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Ajax chief needs little introduction.
Star Man: Virgil van Dijk - won both the Premier League and Champions League with Liverpool but not yet played in a major tournament for his country.
Odds to win the World Cup: 14-1
Prediction: Should top Group A and progress to the last 16. They’re scheduled to meet either France, Argentina or Denmark in the quarter-finals. If that happens, they are going to be difficult to stop with the wily van Gaal pulling the strings.
Full Squad: Justin Bijlow, Andries Noppert, Remko Pasveer; Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Ake, Daley Blind, Jurrien Timber, Denzel Dumfries, Stefan de Vrij, Matthijs de Ligt, Tyrell Malacia, Jeremie Frimpong; Frenkie de Jong, Steven Berghuis, Davy Klaassen, Teun Koopmeiners, Cody Gakpo, Maarten de Roon, Kenneth Taylor, Xavi Simons; Memphis Depay, Steven Bergwijn, Vincent Janssen, Luuk de Jong, Noa Lang, Wout Weghorst.
SENEGAL
Coach: Aliou Cisse - the midfielder is remembered fondly at St Andrew’s and Fratton Park after stints at Birmingham and Portsmouth respectively.
Star Man: Sadio Mane - Liverpool’s loss has been Bayern Munich’s gain. Spearheads an impressive array of talent.
Odds to win the World Cup: 80-1
Prediction: After winning the AFCON title, they are Africa’s best chance of a shot at glory. Their first-choice XI is peppered with Premier League stars. Should escape the group and have the potential to go deep.
Full Squad: Edouard Mendy, Alfred Gomis, Seny Diang; Bouna Sarr, Saliou Ciss, Kalidou Koulibaly, Pape Abou Cisse, Abdou Diallo, Ibrahima Mbaye, Abdoulaye Seck, Fode Ballo Toure, Cheikhou Kouyate; Pape Matar Sarr, Pape Gueye, Nampalys Mendy, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Moustapha Name, M. Loum Ndiaye, Joseph Lopy; Sadio Mane, Ismaila Sarr, Bamba Dieng, Keita Balde, Habib Diallo, Boulaye Dia, Famara Diedhiou, Mame Babe Thiam
ECUADOR
Coach: Fustavo Alfaro - the much-travelled Argentine plotted a route to the finals by taking points off both Argentina and Brazil
Star Man: Enner Valencia - the Fenerbache striker, 32, captains his country and leads the line in an otherwise youthful looking squad.
Odds to win the World Cup: 150-1
Prediction: Despite their impressive showing during qualification, it is asking a lot for them to topple either the AFCON champs or the Dutch with van Gaal at the helm. Progress is not unthinkable - more unlikely, given the competition to hand.
Full Squad: Moises Ramirez, Alexander Dominguez, Hernan Galindez; Piero Hincapie, Robert Arboleda, Pervis Estupinan, Angelo Preciado, Jackson Porozo, Xavier Arreaga, Diego Palacios, Felix Torres, William Pacho; Carlos Gruezo, Jose Cifuente, Alan Franco, Moises Caicedo, Angel Mena, Jeremy Sarmiento, Jhegson Mendez, Ayrton Preciado, Gonzalo Plata, Romario Ibarra; Djorkaeff Reasco Kevin Rodriguez, Michael Estrada, Enner Valencia.
GROUP B
USA
Coach: Gregg Berhalter - former US defender who has made the transition into management, winning the Gold Cup last year.
Star Man: Christian Pusilic - not always fired for Chelsea but on his day carries a potent threat that cannot be ignored.
Odds to win the World Cup: 100-1
Prediction: The inexperienced squad does not look settled. Anything more than qualification for the last 16 will be a major achievement.
Full Squad: Ethan Horvath, Matt Turner, Sean Johnson; Joe Scally, Sergino Dest, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Aaron Long, Walker Zimmerman, Shaq Moore, DeAndre Yedlin, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson; Cristian Roldan, Kellyn Acosta, Luca de la Torre, Yunus Musah, Weston McKennie, Tyler Adams, Brenden Aaronson; Jordan Morris, Jesus Ferreira, Christian Pulisic, Josh Sargent, Giovanni Reyna, Timothy Weah, Haji Wright.
ENGLAND
Coach: Gareth Southgate - into his sixth year in the job and has gone closer to success than any other manager - bar Sir Alf Ramsey.
Star Man: Harry Kane - Golden Boot winner from Russia, the Spurs’ striker remains the talisman. It’s hard to see the ultimate prize won without his input.
Odds to win the World Cup: 7-1
Prediction: England expects - but then the country always does. This time, confusion over personnel and tactics have muddied the waters. Have the quality to reach the quarters at least.
Full Squad: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale; Harry Maguire, John Stones, Kyle Walker, Luke Shaw, Kieran Trippier, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eric Dier, Conor Coady, Ben White; Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Mason Mount, Kalvin Phillips, James Maddison, Conor Gallagher; Harry Kane, Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling , Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish, Callum Wilson.
WALES
Coach: Rob Page - thrust into the role in Ryan Giggs’ absence, the caretaker has made the job his own.
Star Man: Gareth Bale - somehow seemed written in the stars that the kid who made his international debut as a 16-year-old would end his country’s 64-year wait for an appearance in the finals.
Odds to win the World Cup: 100-1
Prediction: Unlikely to match Chris Coleman’s achievements in the 2016 Euros when the Red Dragons reached the semi-finals. But no-one, least of all England, should take them lightly.
Full Squad: Wayne Hennessey, Danny Ward, Adam Davies; Ben Davies, Ben Cabango, Tom Lockyer, Joe Rodon, Chris Mepham, Ethan Ampadu, Chris Gunter, Neco Williams, Connor Roberts; Sorba Thomas, Joe Allen, Matthew Smith, Dylan Levitt, Harry Wilson, Joe Morrell, Jonny Williams, Aaron Ramsey, Rubin Colwill; Gareth Bale, Kieffer Moore, Mark Harris, Brennan Johnson, Dan James.
IRAN
Coach: Carlos Queiroz - veteran Portuguese who was once Sir Alex Ferguson’s No. 2 at Manchester United.
Star Man: Bayer Leverkusen’s Sardar Azmoun shades out Porto’s Medhi Taremi for the distinction. A prolific finisher at international level with a scoring rate of almost two-in-three.
Odds to win the World Cup: 500-1
Prediction: Iran head into this competition on the back of behind-the-scenes turmoil. But they have pedigree in their ranks and drew with Senegal and beat Uruguay in their last two outings. Disciplined and organised. No-one will find them a pushover.
Full Squad : Alireza Beiranvand, Amir Abedzadeh, Seyed Hossein Hosseini, Payam Niazmand, Ehsan Hajsafi, Morteza Pouraliganji, Ramin Rezaeian, Milad Mohammadi, Hossein Kanaanizadegan, Shojae Khalilzadeh, Sadegh Moharrami, Rouzbeh Cheshmi, Majid Hosseini, Abolfazl Jalali, Ahmad Noorollahi, Saman Ghoddos, Vahid Amiri, Saeid Ezatolahi, Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Mehdi Torabi, Ali Gholizadeh, Ali Karimi, Karim Ansarifard, Sardar Azmoun, Mehdi Taremi.
GROUP C
MEXICO
Coach: Gerardo Martino - the Argentine blew hot on his arrival three years ago, more lukewarm these days.
Star Man: Hirving Lozano - the central Americans will be hoping the Napoli winger repeats his form from Russia, four years ago.
Odds to win the World Cup: 100-1
Prediction: Patchy form heading into the tournament has dampened the expectation levels. Comfortable in possession but with an ageing team will struggle to make it much past the last 16.
Full Squad: William Ochoa, Alfredo Talavera, Rodolfo Cota, Jorge Sánchez, Kevin Álvarez, Néstor Araujo, Johan Vásquez, Héctor Moreno, César Montes,Gerardo Arteaga, Jesús Gallardo, Andrés Guardado, Héctor Herrera, Charly Rodríguez, Erick Gutiérrez, Luis Chávez, Edson Álvarez, Orbelín Pineda, Luis Romo, Alexis Vega, Hirving Lozano, Raúl Jiménez, Roberto Alvarado, Uriel Antuna, Henry Martín, Rogelio Funes Mori.
ARGENTINA
Coach: Lionel Scaloni - Ex-West Ham defender who masterminded an unbeaten qualifying campaign.
Star Man: Lionel Messi - we don’t really have to describe the little man, do we? All right: Genius.
Odds to win the World Cup: 11/2
Prediction: Scaloni’s squad does have star quality, apart from the obvious. Paulo Dybala, Angel di Maria, Cristian Romero and Emi Martinez will all feature and there is depth too. Will feature among the favourites. And rightly so.
Full Squad: Emiliano Martinez, Geronimo Rulli, Franco Armani, Nahuel Molina, Gonzalo Montiel, Cristian Romero, German Pezzella, Nicolas Otamendi, Lisandro Martinez, Marcos Acuna, Nicolas Tagliafico, Juan Foyth, Rodrigo De Paul, Leandro Paredes, Alexis Mac Allister, Guido Rodriguez, Alejandro Gomez, Enzo Fernandez, Exequiel Palacios, Angel Di Maria, Paulo Dybala, Lautaro Martinez, Julian Alvarez, Nicolas Gonzalez, Joaquin Correa, Lionel Messi.
POLAND
Coach: Czeslaw Michniewicz - former Under-21 coach who graduated after a good spell with Legia Warsaw.
Star Man: Robert Lewandowski - it has been the same answer to this question for over one decade. The only difference being the evergreen striker, 34, now turns out for Barcelona, not Bayern Munich.
Odds to win the World Cup: 100-1
Prediction: Limited chances with progression from the group stage likely to be dependent on who emerges victorious from their battle against Mexico. Highly unlikely to go beyond the last 16.
Full Squad: Wojciech Szczesny, Bartlomiej Dragowski, Lukasz Skorupski; Jan Bednarek, Kamil Glik, Robert Gumny, Artur Jedrzejczyk, Jakub Kiwior, Mateusz Wieteska, Bartosz Bereszynski, Matty Cash, Nicola Zalewski; Krystian Bielik, Przemyslaw Frankowski, Kamil Grosicki, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Jakub Kaminski, Michal Skoras, Damian Szymanski, Sebastian Szymanski, Piotr Zielinski, Szymon Zurkowski; Robert Lewandowski, Arkadiusz Milik, Krzysztof Piatek, Karol Swiderski.
SAUDI ARABIA
Coach: Herve Renard - the Frenchman has a strong background in African football and international tournaments.
Star Man: Salem Al Dawsari - the winger is the most highly-regarded player in Renard’s squad which is short of experience outside their domestic league.
Odds to win the World Cup: 500-1
Prediction: Could find themselves as Group C’s whipping boys. They kick-off against Argentina and if that goes badly, the rest of the group will be eyeing them up
Full Squad: Mohamed Al-Owais, Nawaf Al-Aqidi, Mohamed Al-Yami, Yasser Al-Shahrani, Ali Al-Bulaihi, Abdulelah Al-Amri, Abdullah Madu, Hassan Tambakti, Sultan Al-Ghanam, Mohammed Al-Breik, Saud Abdulhamid, Salman Al-Faraj, Riyadh Sharahili, Ali Al-Hassan, Mohamed Kanno, Abdulelah Al-Malki, Sami Al-Najei, Abdullah Otayf, Nasser Al-Dawsari , Abdulrahman Al-Aboud, Salem Al-Dawsari, Hattan Bahebri, Haitham Asiri, Saleh Al-Shehri, Firas Al-Buraikan
GROUP D
DENMARK
Coach: Kaspar Hjulmand - won widespread acclaim for his Euro 2020 performance - on and off the pitch, given the drama surrounding Christian Erikson.
Star Man: Christian Eriksen - a fairytale for Manchester United’s mercurial playmaker to even be on the pitch, let alone play for his country at a major finals.
Odds to win the World Cup: 28-1
Prediction: Dark horses. Reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2020 will have boosted confidence internally. The Danes look strong and are capable of causing an upset, or two.
Full Squad: Kasper Schmeichel, Oliver Christensen, Simon Kjaer, Joachim Andersen, Joakim Maehle, Andreas Christensen, Rasmus Kristensen, Jens Stryger Larsen, Victor Nelsson, Daniel Wass, Thomas Delaney, Mathias Jensen, Christian Eriksen, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Andreas Skov Olsen, Jesper Lindstrom, Andreas Cornelius, Martin Braithwaite, Kasper Dolberg, Mikkel Damsgaard, Jonas Wind.
FRANCE
Coach: Didier Deschamps - one decade in charge of Les Bleus. He’s defending the World Cup he won in Russia. Which says it all.
Star Man: Kylian Mbappe - made his name at the World Cup four years ago. That name is now one of the easily-recognisable in the global game.
Odds to win the World Cup: 13-2
Prediction: Have the pedigree to repeat their heroics in Moscow. But then, their past also paints a picture of inconsistency in tournament football. Will surely qualify from the group. No-one will fancy facing France at their best.
Full Squad: Hugo Lloris, Alphonse Areola, Steve Mandanda; Benjamin Pavard, Jules Koundé, Raphael Varane, Axel Disasi, William Saliba, Lucas Hernandez, Theo Hernandez, Ibrahima Konaté, Dayot Upamecano; Adrien Rabiot, Aurelien Tchouaméni, Youssouf Fofana, Matteo Guendouzi, Jordan Veretout, Eduardo Camavinga; Kingsley Coman, Kylian Mbappé, Karim Benzema, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, Ousmane Dembélé, Christophe Nkunku.
TUNISIA
Coach: Jalel Kadri - vastly experienced coach with over 25 postings in a staggeringly-varied managerial career.
Star Man: Youssef Msakni - the 32-year-old plays his domestic football in Qatar and will feel at home.
Odds to win the World Cup: 300-1
Prediction: A tough nut to crack but the quality of Denmark and France should prove too much. However, plenty will depend on the outcome of the game against Australia.
Full Squad : Aymen Dahmen, Mouez Hassen, Aymen Mathlouthi, Bechir Ben Said, Mohamed Drager, Wajdi Kechrida, Bilel Ifa, Montassar Talbi, Dylan Bronn, Yassine Meriah, Nader Ghandri, Ali Maaloul, Ali Abdi, Ellyes Skhiri, Aissa Laidounhi, Ferjani Sassi, Ghailene Chaalali, Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane, Hannibal Mejbri, Saifeddine Jaziri, Naim Sliti, Taha Yassine Khenissi, Anis Ben Slimene, Issam Jebali, Wahbi Khazri, Youssef Msakni.
AUSTRALIA
Coach: Graham Arnold - much-travelled coach who succeeded Bert Van Marwijk to lead the Socceroos to their fifth successive World Cup.
Star Man: Mat Ryan - the former Brighton & Hove Albion keeper, now at Copenhagen, leads a cast-list that is short on true star quality.
Odds to win the World Cup: 400-1
Prediction: It’s difficult to see a scenario where the Socceroos move past the group stage. To do so, they would need to upset either Denmark, France or both. Plus Tunisia will fancy their chances against them, too. They have it all to do.
Full Squad: Mat Ryan, Andrew Redmayne, Danny Vukovic; Milos Degenek, Aziz Behich, Joel King, Nathaniel Atkinson, Fran Karacic, Harry Souttar, Kye Rowles, Bailey Wright, Thomas Deng; Aaron Mooy, Jackson Irvine, Ajdin Hrustic, Keanu Baccus, Cameron Devlin, Riley McGree; Awer Mabil, Mathew Leckie, Martin Boyle, Jamie Maclaren, Jason Cummings, Mitchell Duke, Garang Kuol, Craig Goodwin
GROUP E
JAPAN
Coach: Hajime Moriyasu - has been in charge for four years after enjoying stellar domestic success in the J-League.
Star Man: Takehiro Tomiyasu - Moriyasu’s squad list is peppered with players at top European clubs but few are as impressive as the Arsenal defender on Mikel Arteta’s roster.
Odds to win the World Cup: 250-1
Prediction: Spain and Germany are formidable obstacles but neither are as strong as they were one decade ago. Given the Germans’ collapse in Russia, last 16 qualification is not impossible. The Samarai Blues’ weakness is finding the net.
Full Squad: Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt, Eiji Kawashima; Miki Yamane, Hiroki Sakai, Maya Yoshida, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Shogo Taniguchi, Ko Itakura, Hiroki Ito, Yuto Nagatomo; Wataru Endo, Hidemasa Morita, Ao Tanaka, Gaku Shibasaki, Kaoru Mitoma, Daichi Kamada, Ritsu Doan, Junya Ito, Takumi Minamino, Takefusa Kubo, Yuki Soma; Daizen Maeda, Takuma Asano, Shuto Machino, Ayase Ueda.
GERMANY
Coach: Hansi Flick - was Joachim Loew’s assistant in 2014 when the Germans won in Brazil.
Star Man: Ilkay Gündoğan proven quality at the heart of Die Mannschaft’s midfield, the axis around which Flick’s side ticks.
Odds to win the World Cup: 10-1
Prediction: This German vintage is a mixture of the old and the new - keep an eye out for ex-England youth international Jamal Musiala too. The Germans flopped in Russia but it would be a major surprise if they were to do so again.
Full Squad: Manuel Neuer, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Kevin Trapp; Armel Bella-Kotchap, Matthias Ginter, Christian Günter, Thilo Kehrer, Lukas Klostermann, David Raum, Antonio Rudiger, Nico Schlotterbeck, Niklas Süle; Julian Brandt, Niclas Füllkrug, Leon Goretzka, Mario Götze, Ilkay Gundogan, Jonas Hofmann, Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala; Karim Adeyemi, Serge Gnabry, Kai Havertz, Youssoufa Moukoko, Thomas Müller, Leroy Sané.
SPAIN
Coach: Luis Enrique - the former Barcelona boss can manage both Spain’s philosophy and their big players.
Star Man: Gavi - the 18-year-old Barcelona wonderkid already has one dozen full caps to his name. Oh, and a junior Ballon D’Or trophy.
Odds to win the World Cup: 8-1
Prediction: One of the best teams in Europe with top-level quality everywhere. Deserve to be among the favourites. But then, that’s been the case for years and it’s not always translated into silverware.
Full Squad: Unai Simón, Robert Sánchez, David Raya; Dani Carvajal, César Azpilicueta, Eric García, Hugo Guillamón, Pau Torres, Laporte, Jordi Alba, Jose Gayá; Sergio Busquets, Rodri, Gavi, Carlos Soler, Marcos Llorente, Pedri, Koke; Ferran Torres, Pablo Sarabia, Yeremy Pino, Alvaro Morata, Marco Asensio, Nico Williams, Ansu Fati, Dani Olmo.
COSTA RICA
Coach: Luis Fernando Suarez - no, it’s not that one. The veteran Columbian boss is tough and defensive. Which is exactly what his team will need to be.
Star Man: Keylor Navas - the ex-Real Madrid keeper is the stand-out performer although former Everton defender Bryan Oviedo will also feature.
Odds to win the World Cup: 500-1
Prediction: Costa Rica have pedigree as underdogs - they finished top of England’s group eight years ago - but this mission to qualify looks impossible.
Full Squad: Keylor Navas, Esteban Alvarado, Patrick Sequeira; Francisco Calvo, Juan Pablo Vargas, Kendall Waston, Oscar Duarte, Daniel Chacon, Keysher Fuller, Carlos Martinez, Bryan Oviedo, Ronald Matarrita; Yeltsin Tejeda, Celso Borges, Youstin Salas, Roan Wilson, Gerson Torres, Douglas Lopez, Jewison Bennette, Alvaro Zamora, Anthony Hernandez, Brandon Aguilera, Bryan Ruiz; Joel Campbell, Anthony Contreras, Johan Venegas.
GROUP F
CROATIA
Coach: Zlatko Dalic - has been flavour of the month - and a verbal kicking-post. After securing qualification, he’s once more in his country’s good books.
Star Man: Luca Modric - this World Cup will surely be the playmaker’s last - we should enjoy his rare talent while we can.
Odds to win the World Cup: 50-1
Prediction: Croatia’s side four years ago that reached the final contained several players - such as striker Mario Mandzukic who were enjoying a last hurrah. Players such as Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic and Inter’s Marcelo Brozovic still provide proven quality but a repeat is unlikely.
Full Squad: Dominik Livakovic, Ivica Ivusic, Ivo Grbic; Domagoj Vida, Dejan Lovren, Borna Barisic, Josip Juranovic, Josko Gvardiol, Borna Sosa, Josip Stanisic, Martin Erlic, Josip Sutalo; Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic, Mario Pasalic, Nikola Vlasic, Lovro Majer, Kristijan Jakic, Luka Sucic Ivan Perisic; Andrej Kramaric, Bruno Petkovic, Mislav Orsic, Ante Budimir, Marko Livaja
BELGIUM
Coach: Roberto Martinez - the former Everton boss has been in charge of the Red Devils for six years. And now he needs to deliver.
Star Man: Kevin de Bruyne - leads the Premier League table for assists and little wonder. Manchester City ’s playmaker oozes class.
Odds to win the World Cup: 16-1
Prediction: Belgium have under-achieved spectacularly under Martinez, but finished third in Russia four years ago. This is the squad’s last realistic chance at success. Maybe the prospect of that will provoke a determined response.
Full Squad: Thibaut Courtois, Simon Mignolet, Koen Casteels; Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Leander Dendoncker, Wout Faes, Arthur Theate, Zeno Debast, Yannick Carrasco, Thomas Meunier, Timothy Castagne, Thorgan Hazard; Kevin de Bruyne, Youri Tielemans, Andre Onana, Axel Witsel, Hans Vanaken; Eden Hazard, Charles De Ketelaere, Leandro Trossard, Dries Mertens, Jeremy Doku, Romelu Lukaku, Michy Batshuayi, Lois Openda.
MOROCCO
Coach: Walid Regragui - the former Morocco international was drafted in just three months ago.
Star Man: Hakim Ziyech - the Chelsea man is the key to unlocking defences for country as well as club.
Odds to win the World Cup: 200-1
Prediction: Have their work cut out but stranger things have happened than north Africans making it through. Even so, it’s difficult to see them making it much past the last 16.
Full Squad: Yassine Bono, Munir, Ahmed Reda Tagnaouti; Achraf Hakimi, Romain Saiss, Noussair Mazraoui, Nayef Aguerd, Achraf Dari, Jawad El-Yamiq, Yahia Attiat-Allal, Badr Benoun; Sofyan Amrabat, Selim Amallah, Abdelhamid Sabiri, Azzedine Ounahi, Bilel El Khanouss, Yahya Jabrane; Hakim Ziyech, Youssef El-Nesri, Sofiane Boufal, Ez Abde, Amine Harit, Zakaria Aboukhlal, Ilias Chair, Walid Cheddira, Abderazzak Hamdallah.
CANADA
Coach: John Herdman - an Englishman, no less, who made his name in the women’s game, most notably with the Canadian side.
Star Man: Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies is the pick of the bunch. But others, such as Lille’s Jonathan David will be looking to make a name for themselves.
Odds to win the World Cup: 150-1
Prediction: Herdman has good experience of tournament football and will know expectation levels are low. But Canada qualified comfortably and won’t make life easy.
Full Squad: James Pantemis, Milan Borjan, Dayne St Clair, Samuel Adekugbe, Joel Waterman, Alistair Johnston, Richie Laryea, Kamal Miller, Steven Vitoria, Derek Cornelius, Liam Fraser, Ismael Kone, Mark-Anthony Kaye, David Wotherspoon, Jonathan Osorio, Atiba Hutchinson, Stephen Eustaquio, Samuel Piette, Tajon Buchanan, Liam Millar, Lucas Cavallini, Ike Ugbo, Junior Hoilett, Jonathan David, Cyle Larin, Alphonso Davies
GROUP G
SWITZERLAND
Coach: Murat Yakin - a cultured defender with Basel whose side finished top of their qualifying group, at Italy’s expense.
Star Man: Granit Xhaka - probably edges out Xherdan Shaqiri as the Arsenal man is right at the top his game at the moment.
Odds to win the World Cup: 80-1
Prediction: The Swiss have defeated Portugal and Spain in the build-up but look light of goals. It will surely count against them at some stage.
Full Squad: Gregor Kobel, Yann Sommer, Jonas Omlin, Philipp Kohn; Manuel Akanji, Eray Comert, Nico Elvedi, Fabian Schar, Silvan Widmer, Ricardo Rodriguez, Edimilson Fernandes; Michel Aebischer, Xherdan Shaqiri, Renato Steffen, Granit Xhaka, Denis Zakaria, Fabian Frei, Remo Freuler, Noah Okafor, Fabian Rieder, Ardon Jashari; Breel Embolo, Ruben Vargas, Djibril Sow, Haris Seferovic, Christian Fassnacht.
BRAZIL
Coach: Tite - has transformed the Samba boys into a team that has a genuine tilt at landing a sixth world crown.
Star Man: Neymar - still, on his day, box-office. But the PSG star can bin the amateur dramatics we all saw in Russia.
Odds to win the World Cup: 4-1
Prediction: Tite has options everywhere. Richarlison in attack, or Gabriel Jesus? If Vinicius Jnr isn’t playing well, he has Gabriel Martinelli up his sleeve. With Alisson in goal and Thiago Silva in front of him, they are the hot favourites.
Full Squad: Alisson, Ederson, Weverton; Dani Alves, Danilo, Alex Sandro, Alex Telles, Bremer, Eder Militao, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva; Bruno Guimaraes, Casemiro, Everton Ribeiro, Fabinho, Fred, Lucas Paqueta; Antony, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Neymar, Pedro, Raphinha, Richarlison, Rodrygo, Vinicius Junior.
SERBIA
Coach: Dragan Stojkovic - he manages as he played - with a dash of verve.
Star Man: Aleksandar Mitrovic - the Fulham striker has come of age in the Premier League after tearing it up in the Championship.
Odds to win the World Cup: 66-1
Prediction: In Mitrovic, Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic and Ajax’s evergreen Dusan Tadic, the Serbs have plenty of firepower. It’s at the back where questions will be asked. But it will be fun finding the answers by the look of it.
Full Squad: Marko Dmitrovic, Pedrag Rajkovic, Vanja Milinkovic Savic, Stefan Mitrovic, Nikola Milenkovic, Strahinja Pavlovic, Milos Veljkovic, Filip Mladenovic, Strahinja Erakovic, Srdan Babic, Nemanja Gudelj, Sergej Milinkovic Savic, Sasa Lukic, Marko Grujic, Filip Kostic, Uros Racic, Nemanja Maksimovic, Ivan Ilic, Andrija Zivkovic, Darko Lazovic, Dusan Tadic, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Dusan Vlahovic, Filip Duricic, Luka Jovic, Nemanja Radonjic.
CAMEROON
Coach: Rigobert Song - former Liverpool and West Ham defender who has talked up his country’s chances before the big kick-off.
Star Man: Lyon striker Karl Toko Ekambi is the Indomitable Lions’ big hope but others - such as Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa - will be looking to create a good impression, too.
Odds to win the World Cup: 250-1
Prediction: Song’s side has landed in a wickedly difficult group. Given that, it’s hard to see the head coach’s faith being justified in results. But, as we saw in 1990, stranger things have happened.
Full Squad: Devis Epassy, Simon Ngapandouetnbu, Andre Onana; Jean-Charles Castelletto, Enzo Ebosse, Collins Fai, Olivier Mbaizo, Nicolas Nkoulou, Tolo Nouhou, Christopher Wooh; Martin Hongla, Pierre Kunde, Olivier Ntcham, Gael Ondoua, Samuel Oum Gouet, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa; Vincent Aboubakar, Christian Bassogog, Eric-Maxime Choupo Moting, Souaibou Marou, Bryan Mbeumo, Nicolas Moumi Ngamaleu, Jerome Ngom, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou, Jean-Pierre Nsame, Karl Toko Ekambi.
GROUP H
URUGUAY
Coach: Diego Alonso replaced veteran Oscar Tabarez - and immediately secured a one-time improbable qualification.
Star Man: Darwin Nunez - Liverpool’s striker heads into Qatar with a big price tag and expectations are high that he can take the mantle from ageing warhorses Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani
Odds to win the World Cup: 50-1
Prediction: Should make it through the group - but will want to avoid finishing second at all costs - Brazil are likely to await as their last 16 opponents.
Full Squad: Fernando Muslera, Sergio Rochet, Sebastian Sosa; Diego Godin, Jose Maria Gimenez, Ronald Araujo, Sebastian Coates, Martin Caceres, Mathias Olivera, Matias Vina, Guillermo Varela, Josa Luis Rodríguez; Manuel Ugarte, Federico Valverde, Rodrigo Bentancur, Matias Vecino, Lucas Torreira, Nico de la Cruz, Giorgian de Arrascaeta; Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani, Darwin Nunez, Maxi Gomez, Facundo Pellistri, Agustin Canobbio, Facundo Torres.
PORTUGAL
Coach: Fernando Santos - guided them to glory in Euro 2016 - but the honeymoon days following that success are now well and truly over.
Star Man: Is Cristiano Ronaldo still the star? Or Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes or Joao Felix? The Selecao do boast considerable talent.
Odds to win the World Cup: 12-1
Prediction: There are plenty of questions to answer - mostly concerning Ronaldo - as Santos attempts to find the right blend with the considerable assets at his disposal. The price above reflects that - on their day a match for anyone. Trouble is, no-one truly knows when that day is coming.
Full Squad: Jose Sa, Rui Patricio, Diogo Costa, Joao Cancelo, Diogo Dalot, Pepe, Ruben Dias, Danilo Pereira, Antonio Silva, Nuno Mendes, Raphael Guerreiro, William, Ruben Neves, Joao Palhinha, Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Otavio, Matheus Nunes, Bernardo Silva, Joao Mario, Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix, Rafael Leao, Ricardo Horta, Andre Silva, Goncalo Ramos.
SOUTH KOREA
Coach: Paulo Bento - Portuguese who was appointed on a four-year deal specifically to take the South Koreans to this tournament.
Star Man: Heung-Min Son - Spurs’ star is now 30 and carries the captaincy as well as the responsibility of scoring the goals necessary to reach the last 16.
Odds to win the World Cup: 250-1
Prediction: Son apart, the South Koreans lack genuine quality. And although their heart and industry should give them a platform, given the strength of the opposition, it doesn’t look anywhere near enough.
Full Squad: Kim Seung-gyu, Jo Hyeon-woo, Song Bum-keu, Kim Min-jae, Kim Jin-su, Hong Chul, Kim Moon-hwan, Yoon Jong-gyu, Kim Young-gwon, Kim Tae-hwan, Kwon Kyung-won, Cho Yu-min, Jung Woo-young, Na Sang-ho, Paik Seung-ho, Son Jun-ho, Song Min-kyu, Kwon Chang-hoon, Lee Jae-sung, Hwang Hee-chan, Hwang In-beom, Jeong Woo-yeong, Lee Kang-in, Hwang Ui-jo, Cho Gue-sung, Son Heung-min
GHANA
Coach: Otto Addo - the former Borussia Dortmund player has performed a minor miracle in guiding Ghana to the finals.
Star Man: Thomas Partey - Arsenal’s strongman holds together a team that boasts a distinct Premier League influence.
Odds to win the World Cup: 150-1
Prediction: After a disastrous display at the AFCON - the Black Stars went down with a whimper - they have re-grouped under the new boss Addo. But the challenges presented by Portugal and Uruguay present a more compelling case for that pair qualifying from Group H.
Full Squad: Lawrence Ati Zigi, Abdul Nurudeen, Ibrahim Danlad, Denis Odoi, Tariq Lamptey, Alidu Seidu, Daniel Amartey, Joseph Aidoo, Alexander Djiku, Mohammed Salisu, Abdul-Rahman Baba, Gideon Mensah, André Ayew, Thomas Partey, Elisha Owusu, Salis Abdul Samed, Mohammed Kudus, Daniel-Kofi Kyereh, Daniel Barnieh Afriyie, Kamal Sowah, Issahaku Abdul Fatawu, Osman Bukari, Inaki Williams, Antoine Semenyo, Jordan Ayew, Kamaldeen Sulemana.
*All betting odds courtesy of William Hill - Prices correct on November 10.
